Her Guardian Angel
by FallingStar95
Summary: When the two TARDIS travelers have an unexpected run-in with some slave traders, Rose saves the Doctor's life by putting her own at serious risk. Will the Doctor be able to return the favor and save his beloved companion? Contains equal doses of fluff and angst. My first Doctor Who fic! Reviews are much appreciated!


**Dear readers, I present to you my first published Doctor Who fanfiction... let's see how this goes. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who in any way, shape, or form. If I did, Doomsday would've never happened! Get the picture?**

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The Doctor knew better than anyone that time was ongoing, never slowing down for anything or anyone. Nevertheless, everything seemed to move in slow motion just then, and he still couldn't possibly react quickly enough. The moment the Anubian slave trader pulled the trigger on him, there was a flash of blonde, and he was knocked clean off his feet with a startling force. When he opened his eyes a few moments later, he immediately wished he hadn't. Rose stood hunched over before the wanted criminal, her hands pressed tightly against her abdomen. A grotesque red stain was blossoming rapidly across the thin fabric of her white t-shirt, and her face was twisted into a contorted grimace of pure agony. To his utmost horror, his pink and yellow girl had intercepted the shot that had been meant for him.

For a brief moment, the Doctor found himself too shocked to move, but as Rose lost her balance, he sprung to action. He leapt to his feet and caught her in his arms before carefully lowering her down to the floor. He laid her head in his lap and quickly examined the wound. From what he could tell, the bullet had not hit any vital organs, but she was bleeding excessively and had no chance of surviving the blow without medical attention, which he could only provide her back onboard the TARDIS.

As an unadulterated rage swelled within his chest, he turned on her shooter with fire blazing in his eyes. "Look what you've done!" He yelled furiously.

The Anubian man tried to remain vigilant, but he almost instinctively shrunk away from the Time Lord. "She got in the way. Not my problem." He stammered, trying and failing to maintain a confident exterior.

"Well, consider it your problem now." The Doctor hissed. "Because now you've gotten me angry!"

He grabbed his sonic screwdriver from his jacket pocket and pointed it at their kidnapper's earpiece, causing it to emit a series of shrill tones into the man's eardrums at a high frequency. He grasped his head in pain and sank to his knees, crumpling unconscious onto the floor a few moments later. Once the Doctor was certain that he was out cold, he released the button and turned back to Rose, scanning the device across her limp form. "Rose, c'mon, stay with me." He demanded. "Don't you dare go to sleep!"

Her breathing was forced and ragged, and the blood loss was making her head spin, but she still struggled to speak. "Doctor…" She rasped, weakly reaching for his hand.

He obliged, wrapping his fingers around hers and squeezing them encouragingly. "I'm right here, Rose. Just hold on a little bit longer." He urged her, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

He stood to his feet and quickly stole a pair of handcuffs from the unconscious criminal's belt, chaining his wrist to the piping that lined the walls. He and Rose had already managed to free all of the prisoners, and the authorities would find him here soon enough. His main concern now was getting Rose back to the TARDIS. He carefully lifted her into his arms and began running toward the empty cell where they had landed, murmuring frantically to Rose the entire way to keep her awake.

When he reached the familiar police box, he wrenched the doors open and bolted through the winding passages that led to the med bay. He gently laid his wounded companion on the examination table before he began gathering a variety of medical instruments, both human and non. He laid them out upon a large workspace near Rose's cot and hurriedly set about prepping an anesthetic. He put a bag of solution into an IV and carefully slid the needle into a vein near the crook of her elbow. "Don't try to fight the anesthesia, Rose. Just go to sleep." He instructed her. "By the time you wake up, this'll all be over and done with."

Rose was growing weaker by the second, but she didn't want to close to eyes, in fear that she may never wake. However, she drew comfort in the fact that she had taken that bullet for him, her beloved Doctor. If her death was the price to pay for his continued existence, it was a worthwhile exchange. He had made such an impact on the universe, tracing his vast legacy throughout the stars. She was just a human, expendable and replaceable. She could only imagine how small and inconsequential she must seem in his eyes. Yet he was her best friend, and she knew that he cared for her. Maybe not as much as she cared for him, but still enough to fight for her survival. She held his concerned gaze until his face began to grow blurry, and black spots clouded her line of vision. She opened her mouth to speak, but words would not come to her. How could she possibly say goodbye to him?

"Doctor…" She whimpered, finally finding her voice. "If I don't make it outta this, I—"

"Don't say that!" He ordered, wiping a stray tear from her pale cheek with his thumb. "I won't let anything happen to you, Rose, I swear." He whispered, his own eyes beginning to water as well. "You're going to be just fine." He added, trying to reassure her as well as himself.

As the blackness surrounded her from all sides, she managed to utter the words she knew he needed to hear. "I trust you." She breathed, almost inaudibly, but she could tell that he had heard her by the newfound determination that graced her features. The last thing she experienced was the feel of his warm lips on her forehead before she succumbed to the medication, but she felt slightly more at peace. She was content in the knowledge that her Doctor would never let her down. He was, and always would be, her one and only guardian angel.

* * *

When she began to regain consciousness, the first thing she took note of was the lingering pain. Did that mean she was alive? She wouldn't still be hurting if she was dead… would she?

The next thing she became aware of was a gentle pressure on her left hand, warm and soft against her cold skin. Very slowly, she began to open her eyes, wincing at the sudden brightness. She blinked a few times to adjust to the offending light, and when her vision focused, she finally glimpsed her rescuer. The Doctor was fast asleep in a chair the TARDIS must have provided beside her cot, his hand lightly grasping her own. It suddenly occurred to her that she had never actually seen him sleeping before now. It was strange to see him so peaceful and at ease with his surroundings. Normally, he was so passionate about the universe around them, but now, he had an almost childlike look upon his face, restful and relaxed.

With a small smile in his direction, she stretched her limbs and slowly began to sit up, but the resulting pain prevented her from doing so completely. She gasped sharply, tears coming to her eyes at the sudden stabbing sensation in her sore abdomen. She instinctively tugged her hand from the Doctor's and clutched her midsection, desperately willing the pain to run its course. When she removed her hands, there was blood on her fingers.

As she gaped at the sticky, red substance, a firm yet gentle hand forced her to lie down flat. "Rose!" The Doctor exclaimed worriedly. "You shouldn't be sitting up! Your stitches came out."

"S-Sorry." She coughed out, her voice hoarse as she gasped to regain her breath. The Doctor must have noticed her struggling, for he quickly fetched an oxygen mask and laid it over her mouth and nose. "Deep breaths now," He reminded her.

Once her fit had ceased, he removed the device and gathered his tools together near her, starting to stitch her wound back together. As he worked, Rose couldn't help but noticed that he was acting strangely clinical. Usually, whenever he patched her up, he would still be his regular lighthearted self, telling jokes or rambling on about random, useless topics as always. Now, he had a look of deep, thoughtful concentration, his brow furrowed. "Doctor, what's wrong?" She asked softly.

"Nothing," He replied curtly, not even pausing to look up from his work. "Nothing at all."

"Doesn't seem like it." She pressed on. "Please, Doctor… just talk to me."

He remained silent for a few more minutes as he finished replacing the sutures, and it made Rose uneasy. She knew he was probably angry with her for jumping in front of him, but how could she have let him take the blow? As often as she tried to deny it to herself, she was growing more attached to him each and every day. She couldn't bear to watch him regenerate again, especially not after the last time. It was painful enough back then, but she had come to care for this Doctor too much to let him to slip through her fingers.

As he put the finishing touches on her bandages, he finally looked up at her. It seemed as if he was trying to keep his face devoid of all emotion, but she could sense the pain behind his eyes. Then, he spoke the words she never dreamed she would hear. "I'm taking you home, Rose." He said quietly.

She had never felt more unprepared and vulnerable than she did at that moment. "What?" She choked out, tears pooling in her eyes.

He sighed, trying to ignore the effect her sadness had on him. "Rose, just listen. You took a _bullet_ for me! Why the _hell_ did you do that?" He demanded. "You know that you're more fragile than I am. I could have regenerated, for God's sake! You nearly died!" He told her strictly, his voice rising to a near-hysteric level.

"But I didn't, did I?!" She argued breathlessly.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head at her exasperatedly. "I can't stand to see you get hurt anymore." He insisted. "If that gunshot had killed you, I don't know how I could possibly live with myself."

Rose opened her mouth to fire back, but she simply didn't have the strength for a heated argument. Instead, a strangled cry sprang forward from her throat. She tried to hold back the onslaught of tears, but within a few seconds, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

As much as he resented her recent antics, he couldn't stand to see her so heartbroken. "I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be." He lamented. "I don't want you to leave; I really don't. But I don't want anything like this to happen ever again."

"Then, it won't, I promise!" She cried. "There's nothing waiting for me back there, Doctor. I belong here with you. This is my _home_ now!"

"Please, Rose, don't make this any harder than it has to be." He sighed. "God, why did you have to go and do a stupid thing like that?"

And finally, something inside of her broke like a dam. She couldn't contain herself any longer. _"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"_ She exclaimed. There was a lengthy silence before she found the will to continue. "I love you, Doctor. I always have, and I always will," She said in a whisper. "And if I had died back there, at least I would've died for you."

He could hardly believe what he had just heard. She loved him? Really, truly loved him? How could she possibly fall for someone with as many imperfections as himself? He was a bitter, ancient man, who had been running from his everlasting guilt for half of his lonely existence, and yet, she was willing to sacrifice herself out of love for him? It just didn't seem to add up. Then again, despite his confusion, it was the first time in hundreds of years that someone had told him that he was loved. Her words seemed to open up a dark corner of his hearts that had been untouched for years; the ability to love someone and be loved in return.

"Rose, I—I don't know what to say." He stammered, pressing his lips tightly together before he let himself say something stupid.

She weakly lifted her arm and began to wipe her tears away. "I know, it was a dumb thing to say. Just forget it." She sniffled. "I'm a 'stupid ape,' remember?"

At this, he couldn't help but smile down at her. He moved her hand away from her face and started brushing her tears away himself. "No, of course you're not." He assured her. "Never in a million years would you be considered a 'stupid ape,' Rose Tyler. You're brilliant."

To his delight, a small smile finally worked its way onto her tear-streaked face. When she didn't respond, he continued talking, not entirely trusting himself to say the right things, but he figured he'd take a shot at it anyway. "You're the first person I ever travelled with in my ninth and tenth bodies, and I couldn't be more grateful that you were the one I crossed paths with in that shop. You're resourceful, brave, incredibly funny, and your wit is almost as sharp as your mother's… almost." He said with a laugh. "And you don't know… well, how beautiful you are to me." He added, trying to contain the warm blush that rose to his face. "Even in the mornings when your hair looks like a haystack!"

Rose couldn't help but laugh at his last comment, but it did not lessen the nervousness that now coursed through her. She'd never heard him talk about her this way before, and she could've sworn her heart had started beating twice as fast.

"Long story short… You're so much more than you give yourself credit for. I wouldn't be who I am today if not for you, and well, I—I just—" He stuttered. For the first time in this regeneration, his infamous gob had failed him. He couldn't seem to find the right words to follow up on his confession. Filled with adrenaline, he took a deep breath and gazed into her brown eyes.

And he kissed her for all he was worth.

It could have been seconds, or minutes, or even hours before they broke apart. But frankly, he didn't care if time got away from him. Not as long he was spending it with her.

As he lifted his lips from hers, Rose flashed him her signature grin, the tip of her tongue peeking between her teeth. "Does this mean I get to stay with you?" She asked cheekily, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

The Doctor smiled back down at her, cradling her face in his hands. "I don't think you have any other choice." He told her, leaning in for one more kiss. "I'm useless without you."

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